Life in Paris

Tagged by lovely Debra and could not let her down!

2007-01-15T21:31:00.000+01:00

My friend Debra from http://after-so-much-thinking.blogspot.com/2007/01/tagged.html
got me wondering if my blog was still active.
Here are my answers.

4 jobs I've had: public relations, lawyer, art promoter and brand developer.

4 movies I'd watch over and over: Too many!! Usual Suspects, Any Hitchcock film, Cukor's films, some of Woody Allen's films.....

4 places I've lived, apart from where I live now: Calcutta, Philadelphia, London, Aberdeen (Scotland)....

4 TV shows I love: Shield, 24, Wire, Sherlock Homes....

4 places I've been on holiday: Last trips were to India, South of France, Italy, Belgium...

4 websites I visit daily: BBC, google, imdb, sometimes to some blogs..

4 favorite foods: Oysters and seafood platters in general,
good Indian cuisine, sashimi and wines (yes it is food). ;D

4 places I'd rather be right now: Am happy right here! Would love to visit friends in Germany, Italy, South Africa and the UK soon!!

4 books I enjoy re-reading: All Dalai Lama's writings, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Philosophical books by various authors and some poems by Tagore.

I would like anyone who cares to stop by this ignored blog to get automatically tagged!

Have a wonderful 2007 dear friends.

April

2006-04-20T09:47:00.000+02:00

I have been a terrible blogger.
However, I have been really trying to keep my head above water and all that.
Life and work commitments have made me realise that I have not posted for over a month and I am here to say a big hello to all of you.
Hope you are enjoying a fabulous spring/autumn wherever you are.

White Flowers by Rajib Deyashi

http://www.artavatar.com/artist_details.php?artist_id=4#

The past two months have been too hectic....

2006-03-08T09:53:00.000+01:00

Have been meaning to post more but could not.
I woke up this morning wanting to revisit my beloved Florence.
Here are a couple of photos for you.
News wise - have been loving the newest Patou creation called Sira des Indes. It is gorgeous.
Spring is not yet here in Paris but I am waiting very patiently. It has been an awful winter but
there are many things I enjoy doing during these cold and grey months. Have seen a number of excellent exhibitions both in Italy and here. The recent ones include the Ingres exhibition at the Louvre last week and one on American jewels of the very rich and famous at the Musee Carnavalet. Also enjoyed revisiting the fantastic Phillips Collection here in Paris. My weekly visits with friends to the museums and galleries really do keep me sane.

Hope you are all well!

Cute sign for sale!

2006-02-14T16:20:00.000+01:00

Happy Heart(s) Day! Hope you are all well.
I have been a bit too busy to find time and energy to post.
Hope to do more if I can.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-10T09:43:00.000+01:00

Top two are from our week in Rome
Bottom two from our week in Florence

Hope you have a wonderful year!

Some more end of year photos. See you in January!

2005-12-21T13:56:00.000+01:00

Happy Holidays!

2005-12-14T17:09:00.000+01:00

Hope you have a wonderful end of year celebrations and a super 2006.

Right: Liberty
Left: Regent Street London

Photographs and memories...September 2005

2005-12-05T09:46:00.000+01:00

Inside my favourite Palais Royal - impressive official chambers rarely open to the public.

View from Concorde towards Madeleine

Geometric columns by Michel Bisbard
in a government building close to where I live.

Time...

2005-11-30T09:12:00.000+01:00

I cannot believe how quickly this year has passed by. Being busy and travelling a fair bit has been part of it but to be frank, even when I think I have not done that much - time somehow slips away through my fingers like fine desert sand. Another minor observation is that the older I get the quicker time flies by. There are almost not enough time in a day to get so much done if time continues to move at this speed.

Hope you all had a good year. "Good" as we know can come with some setbacks, that can hopefully teach us some things about life and also to value and appreciate what we have. There were a few things I went through work wise and some things that my family have been through.
Some of my friends have suffered great losses and have been through an awful lot.

Whatever you may have been through I am certain that you will be better prepared for the next year.
Sadly, there are some things we can never be prepared for and that includes the death of a loved one.

Do you wish to share how you would rate this year on a scale of 1-10?
Mine would be 6 (as of today) and I am rather conservative.

My best wishes to all of you for a great end of 2005. Early wishes so you can bring in 2006 in style and with the right attitude. When and if you evaluate your life this year, please be kind to yourselves.

Make a wish..

2005-11-23T10:19:00.000+01:00

A material wish

A non-material wish

A family wish

A wish for friends

A global wish

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and the holiday season!

Here are mine:

A material wish

For a fun holiday which includes visiting many art galleries and perfume houses.

A non-material wish

Pray for health and happiness for everyone

A family wish

That my cousin and her baby get through their ordeal. Health wishes and happiness for all.

A wish for friends

That all my friends stay healthy, happy and we continue many years of meaningful and caring relationship.

A global wish

A wish for peace, eradication of poverty and pain from this planet.

Contrast

2005-11-17T09:02:00.000+01:00

As the rose-tree is composed of the sweetest flowers and the sharpest thorns, as the heavens are sometimes overcast, alternately tempestuous and serene; so is the life of man intermingled with hopes and fears, with joy and sorrows, with pleasure and with pains.

Robert Burton
English writer, philosopher and humourist(1576 - 1640)

Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan

2005-11-02T20:48:00.000+01:00

I received a call this morning from my contact in Hermes to visit their boutique for the latest perfume release.
After a lunch appointment not far from Faubourg St. Honore, I went to test this with great anticipation.

Initially I was a bit underwhelmed because the top note is quite acidic but the dry down turned out to be just gorgeous. The only thing I find while sniffing my wrist and the ribbon several hours later, is that - Osmanthe Yunnan is not a very distinctive fragrance. However, if you love the notes please do try it at your nearest Hermes.

Here is a link to Robin's wonderful blog where she announced the launch of this perfume a while ago.

http://nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2005/10/21/1312992.html

...inspired by a stroll through Beijing's Forbidden City. The eau de toilette includes notes of tea, freesia, orange, osmanthus and apricot

As many of you may love Osmanthus - I would certainly say it is worth a sniff or two. They currently only have the Osmanthe Yunnan (OY for me) in 100 ml bottles at 135 Euros. Sadly there are no 15 ml sprays.

If this is what it smells like to stroll through the Forbidden City - I wish I could be there right now.

To sum up, OY is a beautiful fruity osmanthus perfume. If I had to compare this to The Different Company's Osmanthus, I would say that Hermes' perfume is a bit more longer lasting on my skin and also that TDC Osmanthus is less fruity. I do love the TDC Osmanthus.

OY is a pretty spring summer perfume.

A few snapshots of the most beautiful days this year over the past five days r/o

2005-10-30T15:48:00.000+01:00

We were surprised and overjoyed at our luck on being blessed with some of the most glorious days since last year - spring-like in every way, with temperatures upto 24 degrees C. We could hardly believe our luck again today and we had to dig up some summer clothes like linen jackets, etc. The only way one could know that it is autumn is by looking at the almost bare trees...

After my queue-dodging experience earlier this week, I am delighted to write that I am happier again and I also saw many crusty people smile these past few days. What a beautiful sight that was! However, the forecast looks set to be cloudy and rainy over the next couple of days - guess - all good things must sadly come to an end.

On a serious note - I am saddened by so many disasters - natural or inflicted by mankind almost everywhere. My thoughts and prayers at this moment are with people in India who have also been suffering from floods, train crashes and bomb blasts just around the time of two very important religious festivals in India -Diwali and Id. May these festivals be held in peace.

Overwhelmed by the generosity of loving friends..

2005-10-28T11:12:00.000+02:00

and I am luckily blessed with many.

I may come across as a cynic to some of you but I have my humbling moments when I am treated with so much love, warmth and kindness that my cynical attitude turns into something very warm and caring. In general, I do try to see good in people as much as I can. :)

This week I was awestruck beyond imagination by two friends who wanted to make this a very special week for me. Without mentioning names (you know who you are) - I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so genuine, loving and true to your words.

My perfume today in the honour of all you lovely friends - is Chanel 22 and I am also testing SJP's Lovely.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

I wanted to post a couple of pics from yesterday (we had the most glorious day in Paris since August) but blogger has some problems with them. Will try again later.

Artist of the day...

2005-10-26T08:49:00.000+02:00

Sudip Biswas Untitled

Sudip Biswas Victory

http://www.artavatar.com/artist_details.php?artist_id=18&offset=12

http://www.artavatar.com/artist_details.php?artist_id=18

French women (and men) in general are the biggest queue dodgers

2005-10-25T12:18:00.000+02:00

I know in the whole wide world and much as I love France, the French can be
highly annoying. Today I lost my temper in my local Monoprix and I did start screaming at a rather aagghhhh woman who claimed she was in front of me - when I had not seen her at all. Obviously the French know the art of being invisible too! I just let go of my wonderful abusive vocab in English and French. I am still fuming!
They tend to use their fast motorway lane changing (without indication naturally) skills to their supermarket till exits. It is highly disgusting even though I know they do this ALL the time.
Patience has never been their virtue but then nor is it mine - so why on earth should I remain polite and stay in lane - because most of the lane changing tactics actually cause most of the delays....

I just want you friends to know that all things in Paris, France cannot be termed as beautiful and fantastic. Yes - there are all the lovely shops and sights but people???? Except my French friends and other law abiding foreigners who have some sense of not being so bloody unruly - I hate them all!

Rant over. Want to share your queue dodging experiences? I am all ears/eyes today.
Perhaps I will calm down. If I see that woman in my neighbourhood again......

Want to be an expert in queue (sly or blatant) dodging? Move to Paris, France!

FUMING>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Late autumn colours in Paris....

2005-10-24T09:35:00.000+02:00

As you may have noticed, I have been really slacking on the blogging front lately. It has been very hectic and I have been down with a nasty cold/'flu like symptoms since my last post. I do not seem to find the time to write up and post.

Here are a few photos I took recently. We had the most wonderful autumn this year and I guess I am now reluctantly getting mentally prepared for dark wintry days.

This year my autumn/winter perfume wardrobe will mainly consist of Cedre, Un Lys, Chanel 22 parfum, maybe Coco parfum, Caron's Farnesiana parfum, some classic Guerlains extraits such as Mitsy, L'Heure Bleue, Jicky, Chamade, Vol de Nuit..., my own concoctions and I guess I am sort of prepared.

What does your perfume wardrobe look like this winter? Please do share your thoughts.

NOTE to SPAMMERS: Please remember that I am least interested in what you think or wear and I refuse to get that annoying word verification thingie on and subject the three to ten friends who read my blog - so just p*ss off.

On a sweeter note - I wish to dedicate this post to some of my wonderful perfume loving friends from all over the world for being some of the most genuine, encouraging, warm and fabulous people....

Tagged by the witty and lovely Tania...

2005-10-14T13:08:00.000+02:00

from http://braintrappedingirlsbody.blogspot.com/

20 random facts about parislondres....

1. I am not a sweet person many people may think I am and I can also be quite tough.

2. Most creative activities can move me.

3. Qualified solicitor (lawyer) but I cannot stand most lawyers though there are many great ones - actually the best humane ones in that profession do happen to be some of my closest friends. I doubt I could ever marry one!

4. People who take me for granted at any point lose my friendship.

5. I am obsessive about customer service - cannot stand poor quality we seem to face these days.

6. A bit/quite eccentric in nature - love my own space yet can be a real party animal - go figure! I can be mooooooooooooooodyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy but do not show it.
I have strong views on most things important to my life. Am a blatant materialist with a socialistic heart/mind!

7. I am related to the famous Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (maternal grandmom's side) who wrote the hymn "Bande Mataram" - one of the greatest patriotic hymns ever - maybe that is why I am not overtly patriotic.

8. Again related to two art related figures. First O.C. Ganguly - who was a famous art critic, art historian and art collector in India (my father's side).
Also, Lady Ranu Mookerjee who ran the Academy of Fine Arts in Calcutta since her father-in-law set it up in 1933 - a great meeting place for Calcutta's artistic intelligentsia. That is where most major contemporary shows take place. My art venture has no relation or support from this academy or any connections. She was one heck of a woman.

9. My Belgian husband and I (born and raised in India) are true cosmopolites - we feel at home pretty much in any city. Between us, we have several masters degrees and speak nine languages.

10. I love Rome and I believe I was a Roman in my last birth. Rome moves me and speaks to me.

11. I worked for Mother Teresa's Sishu Bhavan when I was in my teens - it is the orphanage that made me re-think about procreation in this present world. Am perfectly happy sans children and am happier to help many more than just the couple I would raise and then what?
Certainly left a massive impression on me.

12. Also I am NOT British - a common but rather annoying mistake but am an Indian married to a Belgian. I have no relatives who live in the UK. Most of my relatives are very happy in India.

13. I love most Asian cuisine, some European cuisine and love Cajun food.
My favourite drink is Pineau des Charantes. I am allergic to milk products..

14. I can be a snack addict - mainly Japanese, Indian and American snacks. Well not really an addict but when I get some - they go very quickly.

15. I have an aversion towards cold, snobbish, superficial, religious fundamentalists and wishy-washy people - I am way too passionate to get along with those kinds... especially the wishy-washy variety.

16. Detest waiting and people who are disrespectful and late get on my nerves.

17. I love to drive very fast - owning a beauty like TVR Tuscan and a porche 911 is a dream for me. According to my husband I am a racer - so wish I had gone into racing!

18. Wish to learn to fly someday soon.

19. I cannot swim - I am a pisces without fins.

20. I love France - Vive la France!

About tagging - I would love to tag my wonderful friend Debra who writes She'll be Feverish

http://after-so-much-thinking.blogspot.com/

Just to say hello and have a great week ahead....

2005-10-10T17:09:00.000+02:00

This week looks set to be incredibly busy with work, friends, hobbies and life.
Hope you enjoy the week too. Here are two photos of what I love and I recently took and wanted to share. The first is Palais Royal from the first floor (US second floor) a few weekends ago when we (the great public) were allowed to visit and drool at the amazing beauty of what is inside my favourite Palais Royal and the other is a gorgeous cloudscape from our apartment last week - I love autumn skies.
I will write more soon.

Artavatar...

2005-10-04T07:50:00.000+02:00

Please take a look at www.artavatar.com

Would love to hear your thoughts...

Jean Patou's Parfum Couture Service

2005-09-27T19:39:00.000+02:00

Thanks to the most wonderful Catherine, who is in charge of the fabulous Patou's boutique on rue Castiglione, I was shown around on how one can get a Parfum Couture Service.

This is a truly amazing service where you can have the house of Patou create a personal fragrance that is like no other in the world. You own Joy or 1000. The price of this service is 42,000 Euros and the process is as follows:

The first meeting a client has is with the master perfumer, a charming Jean-Michel Duriez, (who created the gorgeous Julye to present to clients the idea of a couture parfum) who has taken the place of the legendary perfumer Jean Kerléo. As part of the first meeting, the client is taken on a discovery tour of Paris in a Limo which is a great way for the perfumer to understand what makes the client tick and get to understand their likes and dislikes. A few places are visited to understand the client and get to know them - the stops could vary from a famous patisserie, a church or temple to a garden. The idea is also to ask about 40 specific questions during that trip which may seem mundane to us (for example, their favourite colour to their best memories) but it does have a significance to the perfumer and his creation process. Then in about 2-4 months, the client is presented with three different fragrances. The client then decides what he or she likes best. If for example the client likes two then a mix is presented and then given to the client to test for a while. Then in a few months while the perfume is being finalised the client then gets to a stage where he or she is totally satisfied with all the facets of the creation.

Then the Patou labs test these perfumes thoroughly to make sure that nothing in the perfume can cause allergies. This is a very important part of the process. The entire process can take anywhere from six months to one year. Then the perfume in given in a giant baccarat cube - which is fascinating with its special system of decanting. Then there is a leather vanity bag in which the client gets a 90 ml of the parfum made again by Baccarat - the shape is similar to Joy perfume and one can get their names engraved in case they forget their names (couldn't help that - from my favourite Jeeves and Wooster where Jeeves disapproves of initials etc.)
That is not all - the client also gets a lovely metal compact with a 15 ml Baccarat crystal spray for that journey away from home.

Well it was a fascinating experience and seeing the wonderful fragrance bar, the Grand Salon, the Petit Salon. In the fragrance bar there are 200 essences lined up and is only one-fifth of the total number of quality essences in the lab. This bar is a replica of the old boutique on rue Saint-Florentin. The colour pink in the decor thoughout is a hommage to Jean Patou's favourite flower rosa centafolia.

The total experience for any client, who gets a perfume created for them, will therefore leave Patou with a unique creation and hopefully never ever get bored. Well I try and not use the word never...

I do hope that they get many clients, because there are many people out there who have the intention of spending this kind of money and time on a perfume that is unique and created only for them. Finally, since I can only dream of such an involved experience to have a perfume created for me, I will not judge those who can afford and only wish that we perfume lovers could have this experience at a much reduced rate - as part of a service to perfume lovers - as we would really appreciate - then again would we enjoy one perfume for long? Hmmm - maybe I need to think about a better conclusion. Off to think a bit more....

For a great post on the perfumer and the Patou boutique please see Luca Turin's blog.

Vincent

2005-09-25T12:20:00.000+02:00

http://webexhibits.org/vangogh/memoir/sisterinlaw/10.html

Caron

2005-09-21T09:14:00.000+02:00

Caron is one of my favourite perfume houses and I have worn their perfumes for almost two decades. My first love was En Avion, mainly because it is a perfume my mother has been wearing for many years. In my early twenties, I enjoyed wearing Infini, then Nocturnes, then I graduated to Fleurs de Rocaille which is a gorgeous aldehydic floral and also wore Nuit de Noel. In my thirties, I started loving their bolder perfumes and have fallen for many of them including French Cancan and my current fascination is with Farnesiana. This is a misunderstood but highly wearable perfume. I always reacted to Farnesiana as being too gourmand just like I did with Rahat from Serge Lutens. To hell with gourmand because the drydown is gorgeous when you try Farnesiana. Besides I love the name and it takes me to my beloved Rome and the Villa Farnesina - please see http://www.abcroma.com/Monumento_i.asp?N=25. Tabac Blond is great but I seem to be drawn to Serge Luten's Cuir Mauresque. Poivre is intriguing but not full bottle worthy unless you love peppery scents. The rather poor quality pic above is that of a 50th anniversary presentation of Poivre. It is great to layer Poivre with rose based perfumes to give them an extra kick and make the rose perfumes more characterful. This suggestion is strictly for wannabe rose lovers. ;D

I also happen to be a great fan of their superfine powders and the delightful puffs which are simply gorgeous - you can get them in various shades and sizes. They make special gifts. They are amazingly gentle and a treat for use everyday. The powder is perfumed with the perfume N'aimez que Moi. If you like your powders unscented - don't bother to try these. On that subject, I have to write that I find everything (almost) in France perfumed including loo rolls. I am serious and it is ridiculous. You have to ask for UNscented products and people give you strange looks.

Here are a few photos for you and so let me know your favourite Caron perfumes.
The boutique I enjoy going to is on 90 Fauboug St. Honore because their service is always impeccable. The other boutique on Avenue Montaigne is nice but I cannot say that their service is impeccable. :)

The luxury "Confidentiel" range from Fragonard..

2005-09-18T18:45:00.000+02:00

Fragonard and I have never been good friends. However, recently I came across the brand new Confidentiel range with four fragrances - the notes are from their press blurb and my thoughts in italics.

These are truly international in spirit (see notes and where they all come from) and it is a real spice fest. These perfumes happen to be less linear and unisex than many I had previously tried from Fragonard. The bottles are rather tall, clear glass, modern and simple and yet quite stylish.

Soudain

According to Fragonard - an instant of eternity....an impertinent fragrance that swathes you in light........(from their blurb)

Top: green mandarin from Italy, lemon, bergamot from Sicily and neroli

Heart: cardamom from Guatemala, blackcurrent buds, jasmine, orange blossom etc.

Bottom: Gaiac wood from Paraguay, cedar and musk

My thoughts: this has a rather fresh and soapy feel - a little spicy to start with but then it goes rather clean and the orange blossom and the cedar become more prominent.

Cette Nuit La

Top: galbanum, neroli, bergamot from Sicily

Heart: cinnamon tree leaves, essence of coriander and caraway, essence of Bulgarian and Turkish roses, iris absolute, jasmine, heliotrope

Bottom: sandalwood from Australia, essence of patchouli from Indonesia, amber, leather, vanilla and musk

My thoughts: very interesting fragrance - the fresh start becomes warmer in a few minutes and more oriental in its feel. It is not a fragrance without character. The drydown reminds me very slightly of Coriolan by Guerlain and also of Eau de Charlotte by Annick Goutal.

Mesonge

Top: bergamot from Sicily, grapfruit, ginger, green leaves, cardamom

Heart: nutmeg, clove, essence of celery seeds, caraway, tea rose, fresh jasmine

Bottom: cedarwood from Virginia, vetiver from Haiti, sandalwood, lavender absolute.

This starts very nicely - all rather light, fresh and spicy and then goes into a cheap cologne phase that I did not care for. Drydown is spicy and slightly woody.

Apres Tout

Top: essence of Bulgarian rose, bergamot from Sicily

Heart: essence of rose de Mai, violet, raspberry

Bottom: cristal rose absolute, oak moss, patchouli from Indonesia, amber and musk.

My thoughts: this is a must try for rose lovers. It is a musky-fruity rose and it is also the lightest of the four. The patchouli is not a heavy head ache inducing variety so you may want to try this even if you detest patchouli. Something smells awful on me - maybe raspberry (for a few minutes before the drydown) - I love to eat raspberries but strangely do not care for the smell in my fumes...

A few pics from my holidays...

2005-09-16T09:06:00.000+02:00

Clockwise - Left: view from Villa Kerylos, view from Gourdon, a bookshop in Grasse, inside one of Galimard's boutiques..

Time flies any which way!

2005-09-15T19:33:00.000+02:00

This week has been a very hectic one. There were a few things that had to be done. Firstly, I spent two days autumn cleaning - I do this twice a year with massive amounts of paper we seem to accumulate. Granted that I possibly am not the most methodical person around, I do try to shred credit card receipts once a month if I can. Anyways, before I bore you to death about such mundane matters - I just wanted to know whether I am the only person who detests filing with a passion? I absolutely HATE it. At least these days we do not get the junk mail we used to get in London. Luckily for us, we have someone (our Gardienne) sort all the junk and the sorted post is delivered to our door - thank heavens for that! I remember throwing out bags of letters stating "We are very interested in purchasing a property in this area and would appreciate if you could please contact us blah blah blah."

Anyways - rest of the week was quite glorious weather wise, work wise and company wise. We had friends visiting from various parts of the globe. Also, all my Parisian friends are now back from their holidays and are happily making plans for christmas! Oh dear! I cannot think of next week. They even go back to their "country" homes (the ones who have them) on the weekend. I asked a friend recently whether she had enjoyed the city during any weekend this year - actually with a teeny bit of sarcasm in my voice. She said just two weekends because they had some concerts to attend to on Saturdays. How do they get the energy to leave each weekend. I guess we do drive out every few weekends but I doubt I could cope with the peripherique (the nightmare ring road around Paris) each and every weekend!

How have all you been?

The first person to identify where the photo was taken will get samples of my two perfume creations - so guess away at your peril! ;)

Have been feeling like an Alien..

2005-09-08T17:56:00.000+02:00

Theirry Mugler's new Alien just launched at Galeries Lafayette in a big way this week. The central panel in this store is something from out of space. However, with the first spritz I felt I may like it. It was a blast of jasmine - a favourite flower of mine that makes me think of summer. Then there is some cashmeran that lends it tremendous amount of warmth. Not being a fan of any of his previous creations, I was happy I liked this. The bottle looks kinda ugly if you ask me. However, some may love it. It is a gorgeous purple - so that aspect I love. Test this if you can at your nearest departmental store.

Next - my friend V and I was pounced on by a SA from Armani to test Glamour for Her - it is a rose and patchouli blend. I can't say I disliked it. It was pleasant but not my cuppa. The men's version City is better. Cannot remember the notes.

Then there was a pretty young school leaver with a rather enthusiastic face at Nina Ricci at Printemps, who encouraged to make me test the new Premier Jour Lucky Day with a rather pretty frosted floral bottle. This is a very fresh and flowery fragrance is made up of subtle gardenia, heliotrope, cassis, orchid and vanilla mixed with more powerful notes of musk and sandalwood.

The result of this afternoon was that I came home smelling like a Vogue magazine.
I am going to have a long soak now as I have had enough of department and designer perfumes for a while....

Oh my! Oh my Borneo!!!!!!!

2005-09-07T17:08:00.000+02:00

Today was my perfume testing day of the week - on a very warm early fall day and I had such a fantastic time enjoying this afternoon with a dear friend.

We visited Palais Royal first and neither of us could not wait to try the much talked about Borneo 1834, which was launched on Monday. This was one perfume I had sort of decided that I may not like - thanks to the fact that there is patchouli in it. I was so wrong because I fell in love with it almost instantly - I did get a lot of chocolate and the dreaded but rather magically blended patchouli (which i dread in any dosage in most perfumes frankly) - then the perfume evolved into a warm and beautifully seductive drydown - almost ambery. I could not stop sniffing my wrist. It is very addictive and I would like to warm that you may love it too. It reminded me of Fumerie Turque just before the drydown.

Then we headed to the new boutique of The Different Company on rue Chabannais. I had received an invitation for the opening in July - which sadly got delayed due to works etc.. Had been busy since and they formally opened while I was in the south of France. Today was a perfect day to go there but I sadly forgot to take my camera - so will post pics next time I visit.
It is a very modern boutique in white. The boutique reflects the trendiness of their perfumes and the concept of the bottles. They have no new perfume to mark this opening but they have several accessories like special leather cases for the bottles etc. and also will have 50 ml refills (like the 48 hours) exclusively available at this flagship boutique. They have all the perfumes in all shapes and sizes. They have some of the candles in three of the perfumes. There is one section where you can smell their perfumes in large wine glasses.

Then we went to have some tea at Nina's and then went to Chanel where I re-tested Chanel 22 parfum (yes this time the kind SA found some for me to try!). I think I love it more each I time I try this.

However, I have been donating my perfume allowance for the next months and more - so I will not complain but will be going back to try Borneo again very soon. Chris Sheldrake is indeed a genius of a nose.

I am delighted that over this summer - Serge Lutens and Chris Sheldrake have proved their brilliance as magicians yet again by creating two hits in a row.....

La Rentrée ...

2005-09-06T16:44:00.000+02:00

in other words - the Great Annual French Return - (from their long holidays over summer to a new school term and working life). It is a very important time for parents with school going children as they clamour for new books, backpacks, computers, occasionally pens and pencils etc.. It is like a cultural ritual....

We are back from a wonderful holiday and even though I felt my share of post holiday blues yesterday, I cannot deny the excitement I feel because I simply love this time of the year in Paris. Things in general pick up just a bit of speed after those long summer days when most residents here take off and let the tourists invade. It feels like being back home after two months of wondering whether we will have an unbearable summer or not - then going away for a great few weeks. I went to my marche today and I was greeted warmly by all the shopkeepers (even the rather indifferent ones) - it felt good being back. The traffic jams are back to being horrendous, people just have a wild time honking at double parked delivery trucks, pedestrians, other cars, passing infants - whoever is in their way - it does not matter. Parking spaces that seemed abundant during the last couple of months are now worth sacrificing a first born for etc.

Anyways - Paris will be this way till next summer - so I will write more about local peculiarities soon...

On a personal note - the next weeks are packed with action - work mainly and life of course - so I will try to find time to write as much as I can.

The photo above may give you an idea of where we are back from or maybe not. ;)
It was taken in Nice (from our car) when we were heading to go to Cap Ferrat.

I also met a couple of friends earlier today and they felt happy being back - one was nostalgic about having grey skies in some parts of France. We were indeed lucky with the weather. However, with all the natural disaster and subsequent relief op tragedy in the southern states of the US - I frankly feel lucky to be safe and alive. My perfume allowance that I give to myself and much much more has been going towards this cause. I pray that people can rebuild their lives and I am particularly sad about New Orleans....

Bonne rentrée!!

Greetings from my idea of heaven - the Cote d'Azur!

2005-08-31T10:50:00.000+02:00

I wanted to share how much I have been enjoying the past couple of weeks holidaying in this gorgeous part of France. There are too many good things to describe in a short post - it is heaven for anyone who loves great cuisine, great places to drive to, fantastic art, beautiful sea etc.
What I want to share is my first ever perfume creation and I am off to make the second.
Grasse is rather close to the villa we are staying in (near Tourettes sur loup which is a beautiful medieval perched village and it happens to be the City of Violets - one of my favourite flowers) and after having visited Grasse several times in the past decade - I pondered that it would be a shame not to try and create a perfume.

I must say that that my first attempt was rather shockingly and surprisingly good (I know but what is the point of being modest in this self promoting world!). Actually the reason why I thought it was good is because even my rather critical husband thought so. For the sake of utter simplicity I called it Moi-Même No. 1 and I have created only 13 mls of it - sad huh??! I pray now that I will be able to recreate this in larger quantities to share with some of my fragrance loving friends as I have been wearing this the past few days.....

Today I am off to create another and will report when I can. Creating perfumes at my level is truly as much fun as cooking with superb ingredients and feeling satisfied with the creation. I have to say that there are many budding perfumers out there and I have had the opportunity to meet some over the past years. A perfumer had once mentioned to me that creating perfumes is a rather lonely activity and I admire all the ones who have been recognized for their rather magnificent creations. Creating like I am as a hobby is really different from creating with the idea of making a perfume attractive to the public.

I know that some of you have created some perfumes - would you like to share your experiences?
I may not be able to respond till I return home to Paris.
Hope you are all well and enjoying a gorgeous summer.

Some perfume and beauty news..

2005-08-17T18:27:00.000+02:00

On Tuesday, I visited the Annick Goutal boutique on the Champs - well there was nothing new except their skincare range which they seem to be concentrating on. There was a group of tourists and the boutique can barely hold four people at a time.
I needed to get a shower gel and off I went to Sephora on the Champs.

The music in Sephora drove me away - it was awful, loud and so tacky! I cannot understand what they try to achieve with such loud annoying music. For god's sake - i want to shop in peace not fearing the next war is about to descend. The crowd there makes you fear that you maybe caught up in a stampede any minute anyways!

I headed for some peace into the Guerlain boutique on Champs Elysees and had a wild time spritzing Violette Madame and Plus que Jamais. I am warming up to the latter perfume I must say! Oh dear - oh dear! I adore Violette Madame which lasts 10 mins on me - if that! It is an EDT of the weaker variety - some EDTs last on me - this one disappears in no time.

I had a rather frustrating time sticking my head into the wall cabinets where they have displayed some ornaments to represent the classics they are slowly about to relaunch. I made another huge effort to smell Kadine, Ode, Sous le vent and Cachet Jeune. This was possibly by 7th time doing this ritual and I promise you I could only smell Ode and Kadine -that too very faintly!

The SAs were as charming as ever and indulged me by spending lots of time with me and describing their new home range which is lovely:

Gorgeous candles at 60 euros (designed by Andree Putman - like she did for the interior design of the new boutique) and room sprays - 125 ml at 50 euros:

Bois des Indes - absolutely delightful for a sandalwood and spice lover.
Contes Tahitiens - smells of white flowers - Tiare?
Boudoir Venetiens - cannot remember much - it was OK - will write more
Hiver en Russie - leathery - lovely - cosy.

There are also incense sticks at 20 euros per packet.

Guerlain have also launched several shades of new Kisskiss lippies and a rather nice foundation called Fleur de teint. Please check www.guerlain.com

Frederic Malle's Carnal Flowers will be out for press in September. I called yesterday and spoke to a woman who told me that they will not be for sale for a few months. Anyone else know anything different? She mentioned November or even December - oh lord why that late and why not September. I am hoping she did not know much. Also wondering why I am getting impatient. I thought I was bored with that lot!

Have a fab time the rest of the summer. Am off on holidays and see you in September!!

My Top 10 Summer Scents....

2005-08-17T10:25:00.000+02:00

Summer days are glorious, beautiful and long. Nature awakens to flourish during these gorgeous days before cooler weather descends on us for the next several months.

These are days when I can experiment with a certain type of scents.
However, I tend to avoid leather based scents which happen to be my staples in autumn and winter months.

So here are my top 10 (cringe as there are quite a few i had to exclude from this list) summer scents this year....

The list of my top 10 are below and pictures above are in no order. It was not easy to come up with one. I like a mix of fragrances during summer months. As we were blessed with a nice summer here this year (so far, so good) - I must say that I got the opportunity to wear a variety. Over the years, my citrussy selection has been fast disappearing (I gave many away) as I do not reach out for them as much. However, I still hold on to some of my classic favourites which I do not wear as often - though they are mentioned here.

Here goes my list this year that I love and enjoy wearing:

1. Guerlain Jicky extrait - my first grown up perfume - I love it because it is a fresh, complex and an uplifting fragrance. Notes include lavender, rosemary, bergamot, fougere, opopanax, woody notes, vanilla and tonka bean.

2. Guerlain Apres L'Ondee -A gem from Guerlain! Notes include aniseed, cassia note, violet, carnation, iris and vanillic notes.
This is one of the best ever extraits that Guerlain have ever made and then sadly discontinued. :(

I love many other classic Guerlains because they are beautiful perfumes and I enjoy wearing them. Check www.guerlain.com

3. Annick Goutal Eau de Ciel - a long term summer staple because I love the soft notes of Brazilian rosewood, violet, Florentin iris and lime blossom. It is discreet and one you can wear to any professional meetings without worrying about your perfume.

4. Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien - another long term staple that is true summer in a bottle. I sometimes travel with this as it is one that my husband likes as well. Described by escentual.co.uk as:
"A zesty combination of lemon, grapefruit, and cypress that evokes the heat of a Mediterranean sun and the coolness of the shade of a lemon tree. Named for the Roman emperor, Eau D'Hadrien is an exhilarating evocation of summer's promise".

5. Jean Patou Joy parfum - classic beauty and a white flower fest. This heavenly scent contains essential oils of jasmine and rose and is one of the most expensive perfumes.
Joy was first launched in 1930 by Jean Pateau as a gift to some of his American clients who could no longer afford his clothes following the stock market crash of 1929.

6. Serge Lutens Un Lys is a beauty that I fell for much later. I have tried this several times in the past and then one day this spring i finally did fall for it.

7. Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle is a soft and beautiful love or hate fragrance. I am grateful my nose loves it.

8. Serge Lutens Cedre is the latest from SL and it is beautiful on me and my husband actually complimented me several times. I think this is a winner!

I love many other perfumes from Serge Lutens and wear them all year around.
For notes please check Bela's excellent notepad http://freespace.virgin.net/lovely.perfume/Compositions.html

9. Caron Farnesiana (a new love for summer months) - I liked it in the past and then I started using up some I had and I have fallen for this soft, powdery perfume. It is a gorgeous blend of mimosa, iris and lavender Patchouli, Oak Moss, Sandal, Vetiver.
The extrait is what I love and one spray lasts the whole day like most Carons. Most other Carons are my all year round favs which we will hopefully get to another time.

10. Gobin-Daude Jardins Ottomans - A gem, a treasure of a perfume. I fell for this in June when Fortnums decided to give away (at 75% off - it is giving away). It trasports me to exotic bazaars. Browns in London describes this jewel as follows:
"Early morning in the Orient, your spirit and imagination wandering through gardens - listening to the song of the birds, to the music of running water in the blue light, while gardeners wearing large straw hats water rich, red soil, beneath lemon and orange trees, full of fruits… Family: Floriental, amberyContains : lemon petitgrain, yuzu, genista, patchouli…"

Want to see more Top 10 Summer Fragrance lists?

Check out,
An Alabaster Brow, Blogdorf Goodman, Bois de Jasmin, Brain Trapped in Girl's Body, C'est Chic, Koneko's *Mostly* Beauty Diary, Life in Paris, Make a Mental Note, Now Smell This, Ombligo!, Seldom Nice Nowadays, Self-Styled Siren, She'll Be Feverish After So Much Thinking, and This Bananafish Smells Like Leaves.

(Please note: if you visit one of the sites above and the list isn't there yet, check back later in the day. Some of us are in different time zones, and some of us sleep later than others).

All photos are from various sites to mark some unoriginality!

Culinery Cinema or Foody Film

2005-08-15T12:40:00.000+02:00

I love food as much as I love perfume. I follow food in each film as much as I like to follow perfumes in them. There are several films that are unique in their portrayal of food and I would like to share three that i enjoyed very much over the past several years. Some like Babette's Feast and Eat drink Man Woman are poignant and so beautifully made. The other that is certainly worth seeing is What's Cooking by Gurinder Chadha of Bride and Prejudice and Bend it like Bechkam fame. The other which you have all seen is Chocolat directed by Lasse Hallström in 2000.

There are a few others worth mentioning here.
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover by Peter Greenaway in 1989
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097108/
The other is a Japanese film Tampopo written and directed by Juzo Itami in 1985. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/
Many thanks to J (bela) for reminding me about that wonderful Mexican film Like Water for Chocolate - original title is Como agua para chocolate directed by Alfonso Arau
in 1992. I need to see this again very soon!

Let us go to the first four mentioned above.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111797/

Yin shi nan nu (1994) aka Eat drink Man Woman directed by the brilliant Ang Lee, is about a chef and the lives of his three daughters. Ang Lee manages to involve you so deeply in their lives that you will come away touched by this film. At least you may! I loved it and have seen it several times.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092603/

Babettes gæstebud or Babette's Feast is another gem, directed by Gabriel Axel in 1987. The film is rather flawless, the acting is superb and well worth viewing a few times.

Babette's Feast is from the book written by Isak Dinesen. The story is about a French woman who flees in 1871 and seeks refuge in an austere village in Denmark. She earns her keep by cooking for the local nuns. The daily fare consists of bland and usual foods. After the French woman wins a lottery, she decides to spice up the lives of the locals by cooking them a culinary feast.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197096/

What's Cooking directed by Gurinder Chadha is all about a few families celebrating Thanksgiving in LA. It is a delight to see what goes on in each of the families while they prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving! Trials of family get togethers - we all know about!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241303/

Finally, there is Chocolat which created a stir and was worth the watch - Judi Dench and Binoche were fab! I watched it only to see that super dishy Depp!

There are others but I want to share these as I saw Babette's feast again last week and loved it - again!

Please make sure you eat well before you see any of these films.

What are your favourite Foody Films?

Happy 58th dear India!

2005-08-15T09:23:00.000+02:00

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance .... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again." - Jawaharlal Nehru (Speech on Indian Independence Day, 1947)

"The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast." - Lord Arthur Saville's Crime by Wilde, Oscar

2005-08-14T14:08:00.000+02:00

Oscar Wilde is one of my favourite playwrights and is considered to be one of the greatest playwrights ever. He was born Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde on 16 October, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland and he passed away here in Paris on 30 November 1900. He is buried in Le Cimetière du Père-Lachaise.

His wit and understanding of human conditions have always attracted me (since I was in my teens to the present) - to read and see his plays, film adaptations of his plays and novels etc. Works i find particularly fascinating, humourous and memorable include, The importance of being Earnest written in 1895, An ideal husband in 1895, A woman of no importance in 1893, Lady Windermere's fan in 1892, The picture of Dorian Grey in 1891.

Wilde had a rather brilliant start in life with education from Trinity College Dublin to Magdalen in Oxford. He married Constance Lloyd in 1880 and then wrote several of his brilliant plays. He had children with her. In 1891, he met Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas who became his lover. Bosie's father Marquis of Queensberry was sued by Wilde for libel but Wilde withdrew the case. His personal life tormented him including serving in the prison for gross indecency and served for two years in hard labour. He wrote the Ballad of the Reading Gaol in 1898 which was a response to what he suffered while he was imprisoned. He spent the last three years of his life wandering in Europe and finally passed away due to recurring ear infection and meningitis.

His plays are simply brilliant and I have had the fortune to see a few of these. My all time favourite has to be The importance of being Earnest with Patricia Routledge at the Savoy Theatre a few years ago (of Keeping up appearances fame) as Lady Bracknell. Here is a site that has the play. If you have not read it - you will hopefully enjoy it. http://www.hoboes.com/html/FireBlade/Wilde/earnest/

The film version I love best is the one directed by Anthony Asquith in 1952. Michael Redgrave (father of Vanessa Redgrave) as Jack Worthing, Joan Greenwood with that amazing deep voice and superb acting as Gwendolen Fairfax, the wonderful Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell and the imposing actress Margaret Atwood as Letitia Prism. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044744/
This is one film that has set the standard for this witty play. The story is hilarious and is a great one if you enjoy reviewing films over and over again.

A dialogue that i love from this play is when Lady Bracknell says - " That does not seem to me to be a grave objection. Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years. Lady Dumbleton is an instance in point. To my own knowledge she has been thirty-five ever since she arrived at the age of forty, which was many years ago now. I see no reason why our dear Cecily should not be even still more attractive at the age you mention than she is at present".

That is why ParisLondres will always remain 35! ;)

The other film I think is brilliant is The picture of Dorian Grey. It is a horror classic. This proves the range of Wilde's writing ability. Hurd Hatfield who played the part of Dorian was a New Yorker and he played a very convincing Englishman. You get to to see a very young Angela Lansbury who played Sibyl Vane.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037988/
This is another film you must try and see if you haven't.

Wilde was indeed a genius! His writing was avant-garde. His understanding of human nature astute and witty and he died at a young age of 46 having faced a fair amount of sadness and trial for his sexual orientation over a hundred years ago. The film Wilde is worth seeing if you have not - it is a rather sympathetic portrayal of Wilde's life. I thought Stephen Fry (I also happen to be a huge fan of A bit of Fry and Laurie - a UK TV series http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101049/ and I also adore them both in Jeeves and Wooster and the Blackadder series. Laurie is the one who you may remember as the dad from Stuart Little) and Jude Law acted rather superbly as Wilde and Bosie respectively. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120514/#comment

I also adore several of his quotes from his books and plays and here is one:

"Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect - simply a confession of failures."-- “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

Bet there are many Wilde fans out there!!

Mad about Japanese food feature

2005-08-12T08:46:00.000+02:00

Photos of seasonal Namagashi

December - camellia

March - cherry blossom

April - magnolia

* photos from Watashi to Tokyo

I have come to the conclusion that I was possibly a sumo wrestler in one of my last births, just because I could eat a lot of Japanese food every day and drink some good Oroku sake or maybe a beer but most times tea. Somehow I seem to love most things Japanese. Anytime I get to choose a restaurant, you can bet it will be a Japanese one. Yes, I have become that predictable. Also, I happen to love their teas and seasonal pastries (they do not make me feel fat like I do when I eat a French pastry). All that is left is for me to discover where I lived in my previous birth.

My favourite dish is Unagi Kabayaki. Vegetarians please do not bother to click below.

http://www.pi-at.com/megu/joysoccer/unagi.htm

I also love variations offered each day at my regular haunts with sashimi, grilled fish, pickled veggies and rice.

In the afternoon, if I feel I deserve a treat I now choose a seasonal wagashi. Yes I am bored with macaroons.

Favourite teas from the great country that I enjoy are Gyokuro and Hojicha.

Gyokuro is considered to be one of the best best Japanese green teas. It is a lovely green tea with a slightly seeweed like taste which is absolutely refreshing and delicious. You may love it or hate it.

Hojicha tea is a clear, light reddish-brown tint and a robust, roasted fragrance and flavor. Hojicha tea is made by roasting regular sencha and bancha leaves until they turn brown. The roasting gives the tea a delicate smoky fragrance and flavor.

Wagashi are traditional sweets that developed into delicate art forms in the ancient kingdom of Kyoto. Wagashi indulge all the five senses and are worth enjoying with some time - the names sound poetic, they smell delicate, texture is soft, taste (mainly from beans and grains) is natural and they look beautiful as they are often inspired by Japanese literature, textiles and art. They truly are a feast to the eyes...

There are various types of Wagashi like Monaka (filling made of azuki bean filling sandwiched between two rice wafers), Namagashi (seasonal cakes), Yokan (evolved during the Edo period - a thick jellied sweet) and many others.
Seasonal themes include:
Spring: plum, cherry blossom etc.
Summer: water, etc.
Fall: Chinese bellflower, autumn leaves
Winter: camellia, daffodil, snow

*(Photos above and the above list of seasonal namagashi from Watashi to Tokyo)

http://japanesefood.about.com/cs/dessertssnacks/a/japanesesweet.htm

My other love for most things Japanese include exquisite art from some Japanese masters including Hishikawa Moronobu, Suzuki Harunobu, Kitagawa Utamaro, Tôshûsai Sharaku, Katsushika Hokusaï and Utagawa Hiroshige. The latter two artists possibly have a wider appeal. There was a fantastic exhibition with all the above artists in the Musee Guimet. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

http://www.ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/dis0505eng.html

I now need to learn the language, learn to wrestle and head to Japan. This is a possible dream.....

Alex - another favourite cartoon of mine...

2005-08-11T11:02:00.000+02:00

Please click on the images to enlarge!

Alex is one of my (esp my DH's) favourites for several years - very English and very funny!

Have a super day....

Fragrance feature this week..

2005-08-11T00:01:00.000+02:00

Monday:

I did get to Caron and Montale on Monday. Not an entirely successful shopping spree in Caron where I had planned on splurging - as it was packed with a few young and may I add spoilt sheikhs and their bodyguards. I waited for a few minuted browsing and heard the names of all the 100 bottles or so they were asking the SA to fill out from the urns - five of this and ten of that!! How I wish I could flirt in reality and get an entire range but maybe I am post-harem age as they recruit them young! Just kidding and I know this is a non-pc joke but I am not always pc as I find that I would cease to function out of fear!

They were buying up - ahem - too many to mention and I could have fainted but life has taught me not to show too much surprise when such amazing things happen. I look bemused and indifferent. That day's sale possibly made the SAs annual target and she was so flustered. The SA rushed to me and I know her fairly well - she gave me two pecks on my cheeks and whispered apologising profusely asking if I did not mind coming back later - pretty please. I said of course I would. I thought she looked pale and she was going to faint. The men looked in a great hurry and I was happy to head out to the door where the doorman was equally apologetic but I wanted freedom! As soon as I walked a little further along Faubourg St. Honore - I saw not one, not two but FIVE bentleys waiting for those spoilt brats. One of the sheikhs had left a couple of seconds before I did was there getting into the Bentley numero uno! Five for five guess that is life! They must love space. I was on my way to meet a friend - I was so tempted to turn and take a photo but did not - walked straight on! Yes dignified and laughing away......

Then I walked via Place Vendome to Montale. I wanted to pick up some samples for a dear friend. Well well - guess what? They have two new perfumes.....

1. Aoud Hoggar Mota - no clue about the real ingredients yet but I got some gorgeous Aoud, incense (maybe agarwood?) Rose,....The drydown is lovely and not harsh or heavy at all.
Sadly they did not have samples so I need to head back and test again!
Hoggar is a mountain range in Algeria.

2. Velvet Flowers - it is a rather different creation compared to most other Montales. This is a fruity floral perfume - I got some jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, lilac and melon....
I tried this avant premiere - available from next week I believe.

Tuesday - a 10 minute stop at Chanel on rue Cambon before heading for my blissful shiatsu massage - ran in very briefly to check if they have a bag a spoilt aunt wants. Yes - the quilted variety and I thought she had a dozen - why any more - think one of those would be enough! Secretly hoping she will gift it to me till I realized it is one of the chain ones which I am not terribly fond of. Now I am praying it is NOT for me. I took the opportunity to head to the perfume and cosmetic part and tried some Chanel 22 but sadly no parfum testers today - so EDT. Hmm it is OK but I have tried the parfum and I KNOW it is superior. The SA was a newish one and she bullshat excuse my French about how this is great blahblahblah.
I escaped to Marais for my absolutely brilliant shiatsu session.

A very dear friend C (what a friend eh?) gave me a gift to try shiatsu massage for total relaxation and I loved it. I think I will go back for 10.
I was in the Marais and then Hotel de Ville area (I did feel rejuvenated and all that). After the session feeling rather lightheaded, hungry yet wonderful, I wanted to gorge some icecream down my throat to quench my thunger (thirst-hunger)! Lo and behold I see a rather largish (by Parisian standards) store called Fruits and Passion (I wondered who on earth would want to name a store that!) situated at 15 rue de Rivoli. My antennas went up at a supersonic pace and I found myself inside the shop - icecream, hubbyscream (for buying all the things I do and not needing them) all forgotten! I had to explore this hybrid between Bodyshop, L'Occitane and Crabtree and Evelyn in one set up. They have all the things you find for skincare, bath and home perfumes. They also have a rather delicious range of Cucina products - foody home perfumes and candles and jellies, tapenades, vinegars.......
It is originally from Canada and the French seem to love these products or maybe these were tourists. I saw about 15 women and men browsing. Oh and they have a cute section for aromatherapy and kiddie stuff too. I left with a few gifts for some friends and a huge cannister of lavender spray for linen for chez moi. It is the only store in Paris at present till the left bank catches up a bit. Well they do sell in Bon Marche, Printemps etc. Oh they do have plenty in Canada - the motherland of Fruits and passion but not in the US of A according to the SA.
If you are in Paris and in the area and BHV is too claustrophobic for you. Head this way and enjoy browsing.

Website: www.fruits-passion.fr

So that's all folks!!

Pic of Caron above taken by Parislondres sometime earlier this year!

One of my favourite cartoon characters - or should I say two!

2005-08-10T11:36:00.000+02:00

please click on image to enlarge!

Fascinating stuff r/o

2005-08-10T09:32:00.000+02:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4134252.stm

Hope you all have a super day!

Cinema, Cinema!

2005-08-09T09:45:00.000+02:00

Nope - not that rather awful perfume called Cinema launched by YSL last year, but I have to write about a film I watched again last night by one of my all time favourite directors - the late John Huston.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001379/

I wanted to see something "good" late last evening and even though I know many of Tennessee Williams' play to film adaptations have depressed a fair number of people - I absolutely adore them - my other favs include Cat on a hot tin roof, A Streetcar named Desire, etc.. Mind you, these are not movies you want to watch when you feel disinclined to think and want rather light entertainment or even some fast paced action films. I tend to watch these films when I have time to enjoy films at one go and I want to watch and re-watch actors whom I respect greatly. In a nutshell - you have to be in the right mood to see enjoy the beauty of the film.

My movie of this week has to be The Night of the Iguana.

A bit about the play (source at the end):

Tennessee Williams's The Night of the Iguana is the last of the distinguished American playwright's major artistic, critical, and box office successes. First performed on December 28, 1961, on Broadway in the Royale Theatre, The Night of the Iguana won Williams his fourth New York Drama Critics Award. Like other plays by Williams, The Night of the Iguana focuses on sexual relationships and odd characters, including one crippled by his desires, the Reverend Shannon. Indeed, in retrospect, many critics see The Night of the Iguana as the link between stylistic eras (early/middle to late) for Williams. They argue that Williams reveals more of himself in this play than his previous work. Indeed, unlike many of Williams's plays The Night of the Iguana ends on a positive, hopeful note. However, some contemporary critics of the original Broadway production found the play lacking form and derivative of Williams's earlier successes, such as A Streetcar Named Desire. There has also been a lingering controversy over what the iguana, mentioned in the title, represents. The iguana, which spends most of the play tied up on the edge of the veranda, is seen as a symbol for a number of things, including freedom, what it means to be human, and Shannon. As an unnamed critic in Time magazine wrote, ''Purists of the craft may object that, strictly speaking, The Night of the Iguana does not go anywhere. In the deepest sense, it does not need to. It is already there, at the moving, tormented heart of the human condition." (source www.enotes.com)

The film:

Going back to the film - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058404/
It is possibly one of Richard Burton's best performances where I felt he really did justice to his reputation as a powerful actor. I have possibly seen most of his films - (some OK, some good and some brilliant) and I found him truly fascinating as a young cinephile (not only because of his numerous marriages to Elizabeth Taylor). I wish I had seen him in the Theatre as Hamlet or any other plays - but then maybe I have in my last birth!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000009/

If you have not seen this film, I would strongly urge you to see it when you can. To add to Burton's magnetism as a defrocked clergyman - there are the two wonderful actresses of all time Ava Gardner http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001257/
and Deborah Kerr http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000039/.
Deborah Kerr is stunning as always and plays a sensitive Hannah Jelkes and Ava creates such an impact as the rather flamboyant Maxine Faulk - right through the film you are drawn to these characters and you wonder what makes them tick etc. It is also a perfectly cast film. Not a believer of spoilers at all - so I suggest you see this if you have not.

If you have seen this and I am sure many of you have - I would love to know what you think of this masterpiece.

Natural beauty of the week...

2005-08-08T20:52:00.000+02:00

(please click on the photo for an enlarged image)

Aravalli Range in north-western India is one of the oldest mountain systems in the world. The present Aravalli Range is only a remnant of the gigantic system that existed in prehistoric times with several of its summits rising above the snow line and nourishing glaciers of stupendous magnitude which in turn fed many great rivers.

(Above info from Stayfinder.com)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aravalli_Range

Photo was taken by this blogger last December from the magnificent Monsoon Palace, which was used as one of the palaces when filming the rather interesting James Bond film Octopussy.(more photos later or see archives February where I posted many photos)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086034/

Udaipur is one of the most beautiful lake cities in India and possibly the world - sadly the gorgeous lake Pichola is drying up rapidly.

Thought for the day:

'I am comforted by life's stability, by earth's unchangeableness. What has seemed new and frightening assumes its place in the unfolding of knowledge. It is good to know our universe. What is new is only new to us.' - Pearl S. Buck

This week's entertainment figure is Tony Blair

2005-08-07T15:23:00.000+02:00

http://www.private-eye.co.uk/content/showitem.cfm/issue.1138/section.albion

All the humour and this great cover was provided by Private Eye

Ibrahim Ferrer - the most wonderful r/o

2005-08-07T12:00:00.000+02:00

Cuban singer of Buena Vista Social Club fame has passed away.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4128560.stm

I am very sad and regret not seeing him recently.

Lifestyle or just life...

2005-08-06T18:06:00.000+02:00

We live our lives a certain way and each of us cherish some things more than others. Some their homes, some health, some our friends, some their daily bread, some their intelligence, some their freedom and some their wealth....

I believe that most people invest in brick and mortar for stability that we all want at some point in our lives. Yes - home is sweet home if one is lucky to have one - being the main goal in people's lives or the main expense of one's livlihood.

I grew up in India where there is a huge difference in lifestyles or should I just say lives - depending on whether you belong to the the lucky haves or the unlucky have-nots. Well it is the same all the world over I guess. One man's shack maybe another man's palace etc. After all there is a roof of sorts.

Talking of the haves: I read about a mansion suitable for none less than a billionaire (as if they do not make it into news often enough). I was frankly quite revolted at a house going for £ 70 million according to the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/4126886.stm

Talking of the have-nots - the homeless inhabit streets all over the world. I know it does not make sense what I am trying to compare but for a homeless person a shop shed is enough shelter when the mega rich need ostentation of the above variety. I was so unimpressed reading that one house has five pools not WHY would one need FIVE pools?

Here in Paris, we have a teetotaler homeless man A in this neighbourhood who reads newspapers and is always cheerful and for whatever reason he has stolen our hearts and we give what we can each week to make sure that he gets by.

Because I grew up in India, I sadly and naively expected all those years ago - only to see homeless people in Asia and when I first saw them in the US, it was a huge shock to my system. What is a super power like the US of A doing with homeless people rather why are there so many homeless people in the US? I was told by most people when I asked that they had mental problems, or were social misfits (hate that term) etc. In the UK, there has been a government policy at play where mental institutions have been closed down rapidly and mentally unstable people are returned for "care in the community". Now that I find totally irresponsible bordering on criminal attitude on the government's part. If such true community care existed then that would indeed be quite an idea . The death of a social worker (and numerous assaults) makes me wonder how it is all going. I call this "the vicious cycle of perceptions"! As a result some of these people become homeless and really get no true help at all from the community (not to mention other aspects of substance abuse etc). This is MY take on part of the problem. Please point out if I am wrong. Here is an older report http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/229517.stm

I meant to write an upbeat piece on lifestyle - wanting to discuss one of my all time favourite architects Horta - but somehow this mansion news really annoyed and upset me today especially when we all know that life can be unfair and there is very little distribution of wealth on this planet.

Parislondres would love to hear your thoughts.

Parislondres responds to an Interview Tag...by the superwriter Tania...

2005-08-05T18:33:00.000+02:00

of that really fab blog http://braintrappedingirlsbody.blogspot.com/

OK so Tania has asked me the following - rather meaningful questions and here are my answers to them:

1. Who has had the greatest influence on you, and why?

My paternal grandmother, whom I loved, feared and respected dearly and who was a wonderful woman - fluent in eight languages (4 Indian and 4 European) , made her own lotions and potions and did not really believe in soft touch stories for her delicate grandchildren. We were told Bram Stoker's Dracula and other scary stories during most holidays and I remember asking for more! Do you remember how fun and scary THAT could be?
No seriously - it has to be Didi (that is what I called her) means - an elder sister in Hindi.
Didi spent a lot of time with us or should I write we spent with her - she was always there making each day - especially holidays wonderfully entertaining for us. She encouraged us to develop a passion for reading, arts and music. She was also quite a ballbreaker in the best sense of the word. Wish I had learnt more on that aspect of life....she was a true feminist! She was a beautiful, witty, talented, cultured, strong minded, well travelled, spriritual lady. She never feared speaking her mind, was kinda stubborn and had a heart of gold! What a combo!

2. What are your most favorite and least favorite parts about living in Paris?

Paris....

Most fav:

1. Pace is SLOW......
2. Food is mostly excellent
3. Architecture is great though you can get bored after a while - (Haussman made sure of that!)
4. Not too close to the outlaws (a good THREE hour drive hehehe)
5. Eurostar - anytime London visits
6. Curse in English/etc. people do NOT understand
7. French friends I adore are really great and I get along with them better than most other European women on many levels.
8. Am a hypochondriac - pharmacies on every corner.
9. Love booze - no dearth of wines etc.
10. Love art - no shortage of culture
PS - forgot to mention all the Perfume boutiques.......

Vive la France!

Least fave:

1. Too many French live here!
2. I detest small dogs (badly trained ones) and rather filthy dog owners who are most inconsiderate - leaving roads full of shite and when it rains it can be disgusting.
3. Men are lecherous - it encourages them if you are married - I swear!
4. Curse in French and they understand
5. Women are stick thin and they eat more than I do (or pretend to)
6. Much too much temptations...
7. Not cosmopolitan enough
8. Awful Indian restaurants
9. I miss UK Theatre
10. I so miss Cafe Nero and Starbucks on every corner - am bored to tears with French cafe culture - I do frequent many tea rooms here.

3. If you could have either the power to be invisible or the power to fly, which would you choose?

Power to Fly - I dream about that day and night.
I love making an entrance/impact so what is the point if I do have the power to be invisible non?

4. What is a common misconception that people have about you?

Well - that I am nice?

5. What was the best meal you ever had in your life?

Tania - tooooo many to remember - ones I loved a lot were at Agata e Romeo in Rome, our Belgian wedding feast etc..... FAB!!

Now, if you have a blog and you want to be interviewed, leave me a note in the comments that says, "Interview me, please."I will respond by asking you 5 questions, but not the same as the above questions. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions and interview someone else in the same post or new post.

New food/drink feature - each week I would like to share a chef ....

2005-08-05T11:50:00.000+02:00

Fruit of the week - wonderful flat peaches. These are truly sweet, juicy and delicious.

......I admire, discuss some of the local markets, maybe wines, teas, chocolate or simply some recipes I enjoy cooking. This blogger happens to be quite a foodie and it would be a shame not to share that aspect of my life with all of you. One thing I must admit is that I detest following recipes unless they are from my own head - with scales and other measuring implements - I am not fussy and I am a lazy cook - really more of an experimental cook - I cook food as and how I like to - whenever and however it suits me. If I do not have an ingredient, I happily substitute it with something else and rather predictably NONE of my meals ever turn out to be the same.

This week's chefs are:

1. Jamie Oliver - whom a lot of you may detest. I like Jamie. I think he has done wonders to the modern Brit cuisine and his recipes do work. They are also not overly measured, overtly pretty things but they taste good and frankly that is what I am after - tasty food. When I want pretty - I go to Michelin starred restaurants to enjoy that aspect. I am being unfair to my own style but you get the picture don't you?

http://www.jamieoliver.com/food/

Enjoy his site! BTW - Jamies apparently learnt to cook some serious Kerala cuisine from Das (who told me so first hand) - who is the owner of the fab Rasa restaurants in London.

2. Das Sreedharan is an incredibly modest but talented Indian chef and is also a superb entrepreneur. He has done some good PR for "authentic" (meaning non-Bangaldeshi) Indian cuisine in London town. His restaurants are all great places to enjoy a meal if you are in London town. I so hope he opens a restaurant in Paris very soon - where Indian cuisine is pretty awful to be honest. The ones that are here are nothing like in India nor anywhere else. I believe a lot of the chefs are from Pondicherry and via Mauritius - however all the chefs in these restaus claim to be from North India. Whyever?? :(

http://www.rasarestaurants.com/index.php?option=about

_____________________________________________________________
Recipe of the week:

Chapli Kebab

(this blogger made this easy peasy recipe yesterday) - no photos as I did not think of posting this today.

This is a popular dish of the North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan.
1 kg mutton or beef mince - (I used half that amount and used beef mince from our butcher, you can use chicken mince too)
3 green chillies finely chopped
1 bunch chopped coriander
2 table spoon original corn flour
2 ½ spoon coriander seed (half crushed)
salt to taste 1 tea spoon dried pomegranate seed (Anar dana)
1 table spoon of ginger and garlic paste
1 tea spoon red chilli powder
3 diced tomatoes
2 diced onions
1 slightly beaten egg

(you can alter the amount of chillies according to your taste)

Combine all the spices and ingredients along with mince. Mix them well, make palm size kababs. Then take 5 table spoon of oil, pour it on frying pan. Fry the kebabs on medium or low flame. Each side of kebab should be cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with Nan and Mint Chutney.

I did not have any anardana and did not use cornflour but I used a pinch of mango powder. Also went a bit overboard with garlic last evening. I also serve with lime and salad. It did turn out to be great. You can also make a Kathi roll (wrap) by putting a couple of kebabs in the Nan - add some salad and tomato and roll it up and eat with your hands the way it is done in India and you have a delicious meal.
A variation is to mash some potato and mix with the kebab mix - make small round or elongated shaped kebabs before frying. You can fill any indian bread with chilli chicken etc. These are very quick and easy means and in India etc. they are considered to be snacks.

It is delish. Try it and let me know.

Drink suggestions: Belgian beer (if you don't have Cobra or Kingfisher) or iced green or white tea.

Pudding: We had some chocolate profiteroles. :)

_________________________________________________

I do not claim that i cook everyday as I mentioned above I am a lazy cook at the best of times - there are so many things to get done - so I follow short cuts and during summer months live on roast chicken (from our Marche), smoked fish, smoked ham, good salads, fresh fruits, good wines. etc. We also eat out a lot.

Some thoughts for the weekend.....

2005-08-05T09:00:00.000+02:00

"For he who has no tranquility there is no concentration" - The Bhagvad Gita
"What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea" - Mahatma Gandhi

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all" - Oscar Wilde

As you know how much I adore Palais Royal - here are a couple more photos for you to enjoy. I am also fascinated by IM Pei's pyramid.
There are several black and white photos I took when I lived here in the mid-nineties - which I will hopefully scan and share.

Have a super weekend!

New weekly feature here on my fragrance experiences

2005-08-03T18:49:00.000+02:00

As some of you know, I organise visits to perfume boutiques for individuals which is called Perfume Path tours - please check www.perfumepaths.com
I try not to write much about perfumes as there are so many fascinating blogs out there who do it better than I do. However, a very kind and lovely fellow blogger M (yes the super talented and philosophical one who writes superb stuff and her blog is really going places - http://cestchic.blogspot.com/ )
M suggested that I write more about my fragrance experiences in Paris as I live here and that is precisely what I plan to do on a weekly basis from now on.

My perfume experiences this week included visiting two of my current favourite boutiques:

A. Yet another visit to my favourite Palais Royal, where I enjoy the calm beauty in the centre of Paris. On Monday, I met up with my friend A for an afternoon of coffee and natter. We HAD to stop at Serge Lutens - it is really inconvenient that I happen to love Palais Royal and SL had to have this magnificent boutique there. A re-tested Rahat and Cedre - the new SL beauty. She enjoyed both and actually liked Cedre very much. I think Cedre is really beautiful and a real relief for a Serge Lutens fan - after the dreaded launch of the rather unexciting furniture polish like - Miel de Bois!
I tested Iris Silver Mist (a very dear friend V who is super talented and writes a fab blog http://boisdejasmin.typepad.com/ - loves this so I wanted to re-test in her honour) and suss my reaction on that fine summer day , Rahat (one I truly detested and criticised in the past and then this spring I suddenly fell for it) and the bewitching Fumerie Turque. I sadly happen love them all now and I guess I will have to wait and justify the "need" for purchasing all three. Wait - I just realised that Iris Silver Mist actually calms me down, Rahat makes me smile and Fumerie Turque transports me to a holiday destination in an imaginative opium den somewhere terribly exotic! ;) Aren't these good enough reasons (at the risk of sounding so very shallow when there are many worthy causes that would do better with those 300 euros!) for mortals like me to procure, enjoy and survive in this world? ;)

For notes on all the above perfumes please check J's own Serge Lutens webpage - she is SL's ultimate spokesperson http://freespace.virgin.net/lovely.perfume/Compositions.html
(J aka Bela is also the creator of one of my favourite slap blogs - well it is one of a kind really -I visit whenever I wish slap the rest of humanity called http://slapoftheday.blogspot.com/)

B. In the past eight months or so - I have been rather impressed by the service at the Patou boutique. After reading about custom made perfumes and their sample creation for people who may wish to get perfumes created for them at a cost naturally. This will be some 43,000 Euros - but then nobody else will smell like you if that worries you greatly and you will get a couple of litres of juice in wonderful flacons to last a while and any future repeat orders etc. I visited the Patou boutique on Wednesday to smell the most wonderful Julye which has been written about by Luca Turin in his blog recently - http://lucaturin.typepad.com/perfume_notes/2005/07/the_patou_bouti.html

Julye is beautiful! It starts off as he described it. The perfume is stunning and right up my street as I love leather notes in perfumes. Thus is a woody-fruity-floral-leather - rather feminine but any confident male in touch with their feminine side will be able to wear it too. This will be used to give clients who want a custom made perfume an idea what the creations will be/can be like. It is a great visitng card of sorts and my oh my what a gorgeous one! I plead with them to start selling the juice in affordable bottles to us all soon. I will be doing a special feature on Patou in September so do watch this space...

Tomorrow I maybe visiting the Caron boutique on Faubourg St. Honore. My favourite Caron boutique by miles. I am maybe indulging in some Tabac Blond and maybe some N'aimez que Moi. I will add that to my next week's post.

Next week: Caron, Montale, maybe Miller et Bertaux and maybe even some photos....

Have a wonderful weekend all of you!!

What do you think of this news item?

2005-08-02T18:56:00.000+02:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4737671.stm

Do you like the new look?

2005-07-29T09:55:00.000+02:00

I decided yesterday that I really disliked the layout of my blog. So I got into changing it. It is a bit too sober and does not reflect my somewhat colourful personality - but I guess I could live with this serious look for a while. I have yet to figure out how to add links without changing the font size to something that makes you feel you are looking through powerful binoculars. Please help if any of you wise people know.

How are things in Paris?

Paris is calm, Paris is quiet, Paris is bright and beautiful at the moment.
I do miss the buzz of people who live here - though I really cannot complain because it is simply fantastic to drive around at the moment and park with relative ease.
One downside is that you do find way too many tourists on the streets and the pace is naturally much slower.
Paris is warm, Paris is peaceful, Paris is Paris......

(Lovely M of http://cestchic.blogspot.com/ who writes beautifully would sadly faint reading my rubbish...)

Have a lovely day!

Caption time for all you wonderful visitors - five photos taken by this blogger.....

2005-07-27T11:04:00.000+02:00

Created by Manolo Valdes

Your caption is.....

2005-07-27T11:03:00.000+02:00

Reinas Marianas by the wonderful Monolo Valdes in my favourite Palais Royal...

2005-07-27T11:02:00.000+02:00

I guess Laura Ashley had to go....

Anna Chromy's creations...

2005-07-27T11:00:00.000+02:00

Your caption please....

http://www.annachromy.com/en/mythos_europa/die_musik.shtml

http://www.annachromy.com/

Anna Chromy's Sisyphus...

2005-07-27T10:59:00.000+02:00

For more information please check:

http://www.annachromy.com/en/mythos_europa/sisyphus.shtml

Your caption is....

When I seek peace I turn to Marcus Aurelius...

2005-07-25T11:57:00.000+02:00

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. (121–180). The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

II

1. BEGIN the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busybody, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil. But I who have seen the nature of the good that it is beautiful and of the bad that it is ugly, and the nature of him who does wrong, that it is akin to me, not [only] of the same blood or seed, but that it participates in [the same] intelligence and [the same] portion of the divinity, I can neither be injured by any of them, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be angry with my kinsman, nor hate him. For we are made for co-operation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth. To act against one another then is contrary to nature; and it is acting against one another to be vexed and to turn away.

I am not a conservative but I am saddened to know that the former UK Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath has passed away.

2005-07-18T11:55:00.000+02:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4691797.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/443009.stm

Honfleur, Normandy...

2005-07-18T10:30:00.000+02:00

A view of Honfleur's le Vieux Bassin.

http://www.ville-honfleur.fr/

2005-07-18T10:28:00.001+02:00

Honfleur...

2005-07-18T10:28:00.000+02:00

A short visit to cool down in Honfleur, Normandy this past weekend made the summer of 2005 so far ----- rather enjoyable.

Basilique St. Denis..

2005-07-18T10:13:00.000+02:00

A view of this very important Basilique just north of Paris. Not easy to get to but worth a visit on a Sunday where there is an extremely crowded, colourful and affordable market where some fruits and veg go for less than half price of my local rue Poncelet or rue Bayen market :(

It is a must-see for any visitors or people who live here - if one wishes to see entombed French royalty of the past centuries...

2005-07-18T10:11:00.000+02:00

Basilique St. Denis exterior...

2005-07-18T10:10:00.000+02:00

Basilique St. Denis...

Temporary exhibition in Place Vendome, Paris

2005-07-18T10:09:00.000+02:00

some amazing sculptures...

Bastille Day 2005 flypast....

2005-07-18T10:05:00.000+02:00

2005-07-18T10:04:00.000+02:00

Bastille Day flypast...

2005-07-18T10:03:00.000+02:00

Flypast with the Brazilian flag at the Bastille Day celebrations...

Bastille Day 2005 in Paris was celebrated in style to utter perfection.

2005-07-15T08:52:00.000+02:00

As with most things French, the defile (parade and flypast) was done to rhythmic perfection.
Last year, my husband and I even went to the Champs Elysees to see this. However, the attacks in London last week, made us think it may be best to watch the flypast from our apartment as we do live close to the champs and watch the rest on telly. The whole programme was held on time and the uniforms had their innate French chic styles. It was all rather colourful, wonderful and patriotic stuff and I am not even French! The Brazilian head of state
was here hence we got to see the flypast at the end with the colours of the Brailian flag which was rather nice.

Late last evening, we saw the fireworks by the Eiffel tower from home and my oh my, this year's was utterly brilliant and better than most years. We think that the French were preparing to win the the Olympic bid and the Eiffel tower was made into a giant flame with fireworks. My camera decided not to cooperate so I do not have any photos of the evening show which is rather disappointing. They had fireworks coming out of the Eiffel tower and it was simply gorgeous. I am in total child-like awe at how these superb fireworks are designed. Does anyone know any fireworks designer? Must be a cool job to see your work go up in flames!! Poor joke I know!

Anyways - the heatwave has decided to stay till the beginning of next week so I am going to be suffering as I detest heat.

Have a great weekend!

strange font size on this blog - it has been taken over ...

2005-07-14T21:41:00.000+02:00

by martians.....

:D

Three weeks of travelling and I am now glad to be home...

2005-06-30T10:58:00.000+02:00

Many of you may know that I have been spent a week in Brussels and the last couple in London.
It was a fascinating experience being in Brussels and really absorbing some culture, sights and sounds there. I am a great fan of Horta's architectural style so I went walking with a couple of good friends to discover some gems he created including several private homes and an adorable nursery school. The other great thing about Brussels is the food and beer. You need to forget about wines and indulge in the fascinating array of beers. Over 300 varieties.
My favourite perfume boutique there is Senteurs D'Ailleurs where I spent some quality time sniffing and buying some perfumes. The sales staff there are absolutely charming.

London was magnificent including the opportunity to meet Mr. Roja Dove at his Haute Parfumerie where he held a reception for some clients. It was excellent and the sales staff are also rather charming there.

We enjoyed a spell of heatwave and also hit the fabulous summer sales there. I adore London because it is so vibrant.

Hope all of you are well.

2005-06-11T12:27:00.000+02:00

View of the Teiffel last evening...

2005-06-11T12:26:00.000+02:00

Fans of Ravi Shankar waiting to enter the beautiful Theatre on the gorgeous Avenue Montaigne last evening including the photographer..

2005-06-11T12:25:00.000+02:00

Not an entirely successful photo but here is the Maestro himself.

http://www.ravishankar.org/photos.html

Anoushka his daughter is a gorgeous young woman who is so talented. Here is her website so you get a good look at her and see how similar Norah and she look. Norah is Ravi Shankar's daughter from a previous relationship.

www.anoushkashankar.com

2005-06-11T12:24:00.000+02:00

Waiting to go into Theatre des Champs Elysees for last night's wonderful Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar concert. A sold out and memorable concert indeed.

Guerlain interior...

2005-06-11T12:23:00.000+02:00

View from the second part of the room towards Guerlain Maison and staircase to the Beauty rooms that have yet to re-open...

2005-06-11T12:22:00.000+02:00

The three new exclusives from the left Angeliques Noire, Cuir Beluga and Rose Barbare...most un-Guerlain perfumes since L'Instant...
The bottles look like a much more gorgeous version of Serge Luten export range bottles with Frederic Malle like qualities. They are created by different noses. If I had to wear one it maybe cuir beluga but then again I am not very sure - it would have to be a gift. Likewise I could wear Rose Barbare if I received it as a gift...

2005-06-11T12:20:00.000+02:00

Another view of the boutique

Guerlain..

2005-06-11T11:30:00.000+02:00

As a Guerlain client for over two decades and in my mother's case many more, I felt a twinge of sadness when I heard that the boutique was going to be modernized/refurbished. I liked the warmth of the old boutique. Nevertheless, when I did get there on the 7th when the doors was open for all their clients, I was impressed by the space, the work, the beauty, the layout and some of the perfumes....
I truly enjoyed testing all the fragrances in style and style they still have.

The entrance to the exclusives on the first floor is rather beautiful as the wall of the staircase is covered with tiny gold tiles and when you reach the first floor before you set foot into the rooms, you stand for a moment or several in my case in the ribbon corridor. It is gorgeous and may not be something I would want my home to look like - but it looks perfect there. At the far end there are some older flacons.

You enter the main perfume room and you are struck by this huge gold chandelier in the centre and there is a circular stand where all the classics are displayed. You walk across the room towards the huge window where some beauties like Violette Madame, Mouchoir de Monsieur, Vega (not my spritz of perfume) and the new Plus que Jamais - Guerlain's take on the foody scent fashion...
Violette Madame is simply gorgeous and if I had a LOT of money to spare I would buy this. It is a sophisticated perfume with orange blossoms, violet and iris etc. I love it like I love Apres L'Ondee which is a favourite of mine.

Between the first and second rooms or the middle space which divides the huge room (whichever way you want to look at it), there are two stands. Nearest to the windows are the relaunched beauties and the other had changed three times with each visit - so I guess that will be a changing stand. The next rooms houses the three new exclusives near the wondow - Rose Barbare, Cuir Beluga and Angelique Noire. They are as un-guerlain and more like Frederic Malle's collection (like L'Instant) to my nose. More on these soon.

On the wall nearby are several huge beehive flacons in gold, silver etc just by the refilling station - huge pipes adds a touch of cool modernity to the picture. There you can buy and then refill all the classics.

Several other perfumes like Kadine, Ode etc will be available to sniff but not for sale.

Then you walk out to the gold corridor to step into the Guerlain Maison section where candles, room sprays, soaps and incense sticks will be sold shortly. You go all around to the Beauty and skincare space which is also well laid out and fun place to test and shop.

The photos below were taken to share my experiences with all of you. I will post more as I gather more information....

Enjoy!

Guerlain boutique on Champs Elysees is no longer what it used to be..

2005-06-11T09:40:00.000+02:00

but it is really a beautiful space to enjoy the beauty of many of the Guerlain perfumes.

The photos below were taken yesterday. I wrote this huge piece and my computer crashed.
I will be writing again very soon.

Enjoy!!

2005-06-11T09:39:00.000+02:00

The central light feature with the central stand around it - on the first floor of the renovated/redesigned Guerlain boutique on Champs Elysees..

2005-06-11T09:37:00.000+02:00

The new home section where they will sell candles, home sprays etc....

2005-06-11T09:36:00.000+02:00

Vega - lovely on paper but not on me...

2005-06-11T09:34:00.000+02:00

A dedicated client who brought/sent his/her bottles to be refilled in these GIANT flacons. I was there taking photos and the SA obliged. This was great moment for me...

2005-06-11T09:32:00.000+02:00

The Guerlain refilling station at the refurbished boutique...

2005-06-11T09:31:00.000+02:00

The relaunched beauties...

2005-06-11T09:30:00.000+02:00

The magnificent Violette Madame on the right (retails at 800 euros) and Mouchoir de Monsieur on the right (also at 800 euros).

2005-06-11T09:26:00.000+02:00

The flacons of Plus que Jamais - a rather foody Guerlain - not my spritz of perfume (was going to cup of coffee)..

2005-06-11T09:22:00.000+02:00

The gold tiled ribbon corridor as soon as you get to the first floor.

2005-06-11T09:21:00.000+02:00

The re-opened Guerlain boutique on Champs Elysees. The first room with the central light feature.

2005-06-11T09:20:00.000+02:00

Guerlain - new bottle of Guerlinade

Crazy Kung fu - new film out here from 8th....

2005-06-05T21:28:00.000+02:00

Live film promotion in front of Opera Bastille - the really lively part of Paris!

PS You will NOT see me rushing to the theatres to see this one - unless I am bribed with a new Guerlain. ;D

2005-06-05T21:24:00.000+02:00

View from Parc des Buttes Chaumont of the other hill!

Parc des Buttes Chaumont.....

2005-06-05T21:20:00.000+02:00

on a mixed but warm late May day.....

2005-06-05T21:17:00.000+02:00

St. James' Square - on a rather mixed day!

2005-06-05T21:16:00.000+02:00

London town.....

2005-06-05T21:12:00.000+02:00

Just a photo of a shop between Bastille and Marais...

Place des Vosges - a truly beautiful square any time of the year....

2005-06-05T21:09:00.000+02:00

Place des Vosges - one of the oldest squares in Paris and one of the most beautiful in the world - on a gorgeous Saturday - end May 2005

2005-06-05T21:01:00.000+02:00

Some beautiful necklaces....

2005-06-05T21:00:00.000+02:00

Another set of gorgeous flacons....